• The papacy : Personal faith The papacy : Personal faith From The (Nashville) Tennessean April 19, 2005 Sen. Bill Frist, the majority leader from Tennessee, is not the first politician to turn to religion for help with an agenda.
• The papacy : Personal faith
The papacy : Personal faith
From The (Nashville) Tennessean April 19, 2005
Sen. Bill Frist, the majority leader from Tennessee, is not the first politician to turn to religion for help with an agenda.
Still, Frist’s plan for a videotaped address to a major church gathering regarding judicial appointments is drawing valid criticism. He should reconsider aligning with the Family Research Council’s planned event “Justice Sunday,” in which organizers bill opposition to President Bush’s nominees as being “against people of faith.”
That characterization of filibuster threats by Democrats is extremely unfair and off-base. The filibuster issue, on its own, could pose a vitriolic political battle, but it has not been about religion and shouldn’t be painted that way now.
Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., probably put it best this week, saying, “When we talk religion and government, neither should become an instrument for the other.”
The issue of judicial nominees has been a source of frustration for Frist, who has threatened to use a parliamentary tactic to get a straight up-or-down majority vote on the nominees. That threat has been contentious enough, leading to speculation about the long-term effects such a move would have on the Senate. But when the politically conservative side of the debate couches the debate in religious terms, the message becomes clear: God is on our side. That should be insulting to lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Personal faith should not be defined by political affiliation. From The Forum, Fargo, N.D. April 20, 2005
Twenty-six years ago the white smoke from The Vatican’s Sistine Chapel announced the election of a relatively obscure Polish cardinal as Pope John Paul II. Few knew much about him.
Twenty-six years later John Paul’s tenure is seen as extraordinary and historic. He filled the shoes of the Fisherman in a manner never before seen — indeed, redefined the papal role.
But on Tuesday, when white smoke signaled the naming of German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Vatican-watchers knew that in Pope Benedict XVI, Catholics were getting a man on the throne of Peter with a known record of service. …
The big questions: Will Benedict assume the globe-trotting style that characterized his predecessor’s service? Will he continue to use the moral force of his church to affect global politics, as John Paul did?
This much is certain: The new prelate will walk a path of uncompromising faith – a path made as clear as it’s ever been for Catholics by John Paul.
- Provided by the Associated Press
